During some dark days down the years in the second tier of English football it felt like it would never come as Newcastle strayed from one “new saviour” to the next.

But today marked the first day of what Pardew and his backroom staff hope will be a successful eight years.

There have been times when the Evening Chronicle has been critical towards the current regime after some extreme highs and lows in the last five years.

But in tying LMA and Premier League manager of the year Pardew and his backroom team down to long-term deals it would appear they have got it right.

Those extreme lows following relegation three years ago were quickly followed by some highs that have left us needing altitude training as the Magpies rose from Scunthorpe and back in European competition under the guidance of Pardew alongside some of the game’s truly big names.

Mike Ashley’s board got it spot on when they handed Geordie talent-spotter and chief scout extraordinaire Graham Carr a deal of the same duration earlier in the summer, and it looks like their judgement is correct once again.

Ashley’s board have made mistakes since they took charge in 2007 and they have put their hands up to them.

They have stuck to their guns on some big calls, such as the bitter spat between Kevin Keegan and controversial former transfer chief Dennis Wise, a battle that the ex-Chelsea skipper appeared to win as the Messiah walked out on the Magpies.

Large sections of fans also felt that Alan Shearer should have been given the chance to move the club forward after relegation in 2009.

But Ashley didn’t agree and handed the job to Chris Hughton after a trial period, culminating with the Championship title.

Since then the stakes have been raised significantly under Pardew.

The current board also tore up transfer strategies of the past – which included the acquisition of trophy signings – and installed a new blueprint of bringing in younger players from abroad while also nurturing young Geordie talent.

The policy has resulted in £35m being banked for Andy Carroll and youngsters like Romain Amalfitano, Gael Bigirimana and Curtis Good getting their opportunity to shine on the big stage.

Fan favourites like Kevin Nolan, Carroll and Joey Barton have been moved on, but stars like Hatem Ben Arfa, Yohan Cabaye, Papiss Cisse and Cheick Tiote have all come in – and the club is back in Continental competition and striving in the right direction.

With young Geordies like Sammy Ameobi and Adam Campbell getting their chance at first-team level, the blueprint is currently a work in progress. Whether you agree with the plan of the current board or not, the fact of the matter is that at least there is a plan now.

It hasn’t always been the way ...

Yes down the years under previous regimes and Ashley himself it has felt like the club was flying on the seat of its pants and dancing with the grim reaper.

At least now there is a vision and people can see what it is.

Ashley may not be everybody’s cup of tea, but he has poured over £280m into the club since taking over in 2007.

For years Newcastle fans have felt the pain of one failed managerial regime after another.

And even when Newcastle had it so good under Kevin Keegan the first time around and later Sir Bobby Robson, the powers that be somehow allowed all that to slip through their fingers.

Robson’s exit was the start of a slide from the top five and Champions League to rubbing shoulders with Doncaster and Peterborough.

There are no guarantees in football, but under Pardew – a man few wanted to take charge less than two years ago – Newcastle have blossomed. They are back on the European map and the Toon Army are on the march on the Continent once again.

Pardew’s vision has been to build from the back and also ensure that the great traditions of our magnificent football club are not ignored.

It’s something he has done with aplomb by appointing Sir Bobby’s former assistant John Carver, a man who bleeds black-and-white, and Geordie Steve Stone, who also knows how this football-mad city lives and breathes.

That, coupled with Pardew’s undoubted man-management skills – something we first saw when the Magpies fought back from 4-0 down against Arsenal – appear to have finally given Newcastle the right foundations to build and move forward.

Some sections of fans still feel that the squad isn’t big enough and lacks depth.

But as chief scout Carr said in the summer: “If Newcastle can’t sign the players they want at the right price, they won’t sign anybody.”

It is a brave approach and one that cost the Magpies French international Mathieu Debuchy from Lille.

Yet it is also the same strategy that netted Papiss Cisse.

The good news is also that Carr is currently globetrotting and working towards the next window. Newcastle may not throw money around like the old days.

But if it lands overpaid and over-rated stars like Michael Owen, Geremi or Mark Viduka, then you have to wonder who the real beneficiaries actually are.

Certainly as somebody who survived the Villa Park experience of 2009 contemplating away days at Glanford Park, while those who had just relegated the club talked about where they were going on holiday, I’d rather see hungry and enthusiastic rather than fat cats looking for a final pay day.

Yes, we can all envy Manchester City and Chelsea.

But sadly there is no such thing as a Geordie Abramovich. And no Tyneside saviour has been able to step forward and do it another way.

Instead Pardew has knuckled down and got on with the job.

It seems that Toon players are once again playing for the shirt and playing for the fans.

With an eight-year plan on the table it would appear that things can only continue to get better under Pardew, providing that stability and consistency are allowed to keep on blossoming.

Pardew feels the fans are on the same page as him at the moment, or certainly that was the case as 800 hardcore fans applauded his team off at Old Trafford this week.

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